<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604014152771.png" alt="An Ellis County voter submits her ID to a poll worker at the Hays Recreation Center during the August primary. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas says Ellis County election workers and voters are placed at risk of contracting COVID-19 because other election workers are refusing to wear a mask. (Photos by Becky Kiser/Hays Post)" />
 <figcaption>An Ellis County voter submits her ID to a poll worker at the Hays Recreation Center during the August primary. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas says Ellis County election workers and voters are placed at risk of contracting COVID-19 because other election workers are refusing to wear a mask. (Photos by Becky Kiser/Hays Post)</figcaption>
 </figure>By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/29/aclu-of-kansas-files-complaint-for-ellis-county-election-worker-over-lack-of-mask-mandate/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The American 
Civil Liberties Union of Kansas is seeking an investigation into the 
refusal of the Ellis County clerk and Kansas Secretary of State to 
require election workers to wear a facemask.The ACLU filed a complaint
 with the Kansas Department of Labor on behalf of an Ellis County 
election worker who has a heart transplant and fears for safety. The 
complaint says employees and volunteers are required to work within 
close proximity to each other and voters in closed spaces for extended 
periods of time.Ellis County Clerk Donna&nbsp; Maskus and the Kansas Secretary of State’s office failed to protect the
 health and safety of workers by not requiring them to wear masks, the 
ACLU contends.“I am at risk for serious 
harm every time I enter a polling location or the clerk’s office,” the 
undentified employee said in the complaint, which was filed Thursday.The complaint includes photos of clerk’s office employees not wearing a mask, and it references other photos published by&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/d7f7145a-1f34-4508-9dac-9d00436a9a09">Hays Post</a>.
 A voter also contacted the ACLU with concerns about being placed at 
risk for COVID-19 because workers weren’t wearing a mask, the complaint 
said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604014222513.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>COVID-19 cases have spiked
 in Ellis County, with nearly all of the 1,416 total cases recorded 
since early August. The county’s health department reported its rolling 
seven-day average is nine new cases per day. The county, with a 
population of about 28,500, has recorded 18 deaths from COVID-19.The highly contagious 
virus is spread through airborne droplets from talking, coughing and 
sneezing, or contact with a contaminated surface. For survivors, the 
virus can cause long-lasting damage to multiple organ systems. Those 
with underlying health conditions are considered to be especially 
vulnerable.The Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention recommends protective face coverings in public 
settings, especially when individuals cannot maintain 6 feet of 
separation. The city of Hays adopted the mask mandate recommended by 
Gov. Laura Kelly in early July.“Masks are an integral 
part of any employer’s workplace safety program during the pandemic and 
an essential protection against the hazards that COVID-19 presents,” the
 ACLU argues in its complaint.Katie&nbsp;Koupal, spokeswoman 
for the Secretary of State’s office, said election officials work with 
their local health department to determine COVID-19 protocols for their 
respective counties. The county clerk oversees elections in all but the 
four largest counties in Kansas.“Our office strongly 
encourages all Kansans to be safe and follow the recommended COVID-19 
safety protocols of health professionals,” Koupal said.The Secretary of State’s 
office has provided personal protective equipment and plexiglass shields
 to help protect voters and election workers from COVID-19, Koupal said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604014278976.png" alt="ACLU complaint filing" />
 <figcaption>ACLU complaint filing</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604014307360.png" alt="ACLU complaint filing" />
 <figcaption>ACLU complaint filing</figcaption>
 </figure>Sherman Smith has written award-winning news stories about the instability of the Kansas foster care system, misconduct by government officials, sexual abuse, technology, education, and the Legislature. He spent 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal, where he started on the copy desk, then oversaw digital operations, was the managing editor and reported from the Statehouse.&nbsp;

ACLU files complaint for Ellis Co. election worker over lack of mask mandate